Will Hinchliffe

We generally put cobra in a little slack to allow the tree to move and put on reactive growth. The cobra then acts to restrict any excessive movement in strong winds. If you tension it do you still put the shock absorber in ?

looks like a slick system Drew. I will have to give single line foot locking ago.

I used word to edit the pictures and just added text.

If you rub brich leafs on your hands in water they lather up like soap and you can clean yourself.

Cheers it was a good team effort with two in the tree and two on the ground.

Birch roots push water up xylem vessels before leaf flush by positive root pressure. Once the leafs open water is drawn up by transpiration. Very few temperate trees show positive root pressure.

Cheers for those Tony . I don't think they will mulch because the garden is not huge.

You would go twice as big if you had a hobs Rupe:001_tt2:

Yesterdays tree. We installed lines at the end of the day Monday for a flying start.The job took about 7 hours. The tree overhung 4 gardens 2 with zero access. A lot of the work was on the back of the tree. I have attached the report I produced on the tree for the client earlier on in the year. Arb talk copy tree inspection.pdf

Here is the Srt set up I use (very occasional). Its very simple. Top is a kleimheist tied with a footlock prussik. Below is a set of kong two handed ascecnders. These are both clipped in to the same caribeener and a pantain is used on the right foot. The kong is just used 1 handed and the other hand on the rope below to keep you up right. The Kleimheist is purely for back up. I have tried it clipping the two legs of the kleimheist in the spare cam of the ascender this makes it all very neat and keeps the prussik very close to the ascender but I decided there was no need for it and there is a slight chance that if the cam on the rope failed the cam on the two legs of prussik cord might slip and damage the cord. You only have to unclip the sngle caribener and you are free from the system. You can then tie a knot in the rope above the kleimheist and your groundie can lower the system down. Not as an efficient system as Johns but its very simple and still a great way to ascend. I quite like having one leg free all the time to push away from branches as you pass them.

Excellent

Sounds like a good project. My brother did product design at Nottingham trent and now works for Dyson. I would make it so when you put it in the truck the straps pack away so they dont snag on other kit.

Some of the snow in Shaftesbury this morning. Kids are sledging and snow boarding down gold hill (the hill from the hovis advert with the bike and the hill)

Great idea David. Here are some from my archive. The ferns are common polypodys Polypodium vulgaris No idea on the lichen

I did a day shadowing the executive forester at Longleat 4 years ago and we went all over marking up trees and looking at regen in lightboxed clearings. He was driving a legacy. All the rides were in very good condition but the bottom of the legacy kept scraping and bumping on the ground. I think you would damage a legacy if your rides were not in excellent condition. You could probably pick up a proper truck for cheaper than a legacy any way. Foresters are very expensive.

Unlucky:001_tt2:

I have the cobra in a rope bag. I use a utility knife to cut the cobra. All the kit I put in the pockets of the rope bag apart from the blow torch which I have on a caribeaner. I clip the rope bag to my harness. I Sometimes put the shock absorber and plastic insert in before I get up in the tree. My top tip is make sure the utility knife has a sharp blade in when you are on the ground rather than finding out its blunt.

Snowed off today. The roads are covered and I have to drive 15 miles to get to work. The school my girlfriend works at in Salisbury is also closed. Snow**********************************************************

It had a pathetic attempt at snowing in Shaftesbury an hour ago but it gave up.

Freezing temperatures will kill off the exposed cambium at the pruning point but the tissue always dies back slightly due to dessication. I dont think it really effects the tissues ability to form callus and occlude. I was reducing an Acer sacharrum today and when I finished the work at 1.00 many of the larger pruning cuts had foot long icicles hanging from them that had formed from the running sap. I had not seen this happen before.

I used to do a reasnoable amount of rock climbing on the Dorset coast and most climbers down there generaly back up there figure of 8 with a french prussik below the figure of 8 clipped to a leg loop. If you have to use a figure of 8 without any back up someone on the ground holds the end of the rope. If the person descending looses control the person on the ground can pull the rope tight and the descent can be controlled from the ground. I use a figure of 8 when I foot lock. I leave my footlock prussik on above the figure of 8 as a back up.

Lovely looking planting Marc. Instant effect. How many were planted?

My favourites are long Klein gaffs, they are very different to long Bashlin gaffs. The kleins are broader and dont get stuck in the tree. If I have the choice I will always put on the kleins with long gaffs over spikes with shorter gaffs.. If you have Bashlins I would stick with the shorter gaffs.

Can you eliminate the need for a dynometer in a system like this by taking the pieces off with a step cut at 90 degrees to one of lines then tensioning 1 line to lift the piece. Im just throwing ideas about.

My advice is to go for all leather one peice uppers and a boot with replaceable Vibram soles. If you look after the leather it will last for ever. I have a pair of Zamberlan hiking boots that are 13 years old and still have loads of life left in them. I also have a pair of boreal boots which are 10 years old. I have put loads of miles on these and the soles just dont seem to wear. I was walking on Dartmoor in them 2 days ago and they are still waterproof.